''Labour in the West Indies: The Birth of a Workers' Movement'' (1939) ''Labour in the West Indies: The Birth of a Worker's Movement'', first published by the
Fabian Society in 1939, was an account of the 1930s
labour movement in the Caribbean. It remained the only work published on the Caribbean-wide movement and the Labour Rebellions in the English-speaking Caribbean for decades. The book was republished by
John La Rose and Sarah White at
New Beacon Books in February 1978. Lewis is now characterised as "among the earliest proponents of
Reparations for the former West Indies for Britain's colonial wrongs" because of the ideas he put forward in this work.
The "Lewis model" Lewis published in 1954 what was to be his most influential development economics article, "Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour" (Manchester School). In this publication, he introduced what came to be called the
dual sector model, or the "Lewis model". Lewis combined an analysis of the historical experience of developed countries with the central ideas of the classical economists to produce a broad picture of the development process. In his theory, a "capitalist" sector develops by taking labour from a non-capitalist backward "subsistence" sector. The subsistence sector is governed by informal institutions and social norms so that producers do not maximize profits and workers can be paid above their marginal product. At an early stage of development, the "unlimited" supply of labour from the subsistence economy means that the capitalist sector can expand for some time without the need to raise wages. This results in higher returns to capital, which are reinvested in capital accumulation. In turn, the increase in the capital stock leads the "capitalists" to expand employment by drawing further labour from the subsistence sector. Given the assumptions of the model (for example, that the profits are reinvested and that capital accumulation does not substitute for skilled labour in production), the process becomes self-sustaining and leads to modernization and economic development. The point at which the excess labour in the subsistence sector is fully absorbed into the modern sector, and where further capital accumulation begins to push the balance of power towards labour (thus increasing wages) in both capitalist and subsistence sectors, is sometimes called the
Lewisian turning point. It has recently been widely discussed in the context of economic development in China. Work building on Lewis's analysis has shown that productivity gains in the areas formerly occupied by the subsistence sector (e.g. agriculture) can offset some of the labour demand.
The Theory of Economic Growth (1955) In his 1955 book,
The Theory of Economic Growth, Lewis sought to "provide an appropriate framework for studying economic development", driven by a combination of "curiosity and of practical need." During the
Industrial Revolution, England was experiencing the worst economic turmoil of its time. It would not be until an economic enlightenment took place that cities began to shift towards factories and labour-intensive methods of production as they experienced giant shifts in the labour and agriculture markets, thus, eventually leading to higher production, and higher income. Lewis theorized if England could turn its misfortune around, the same could be done for developing countries around the world. His theories proved true for some countries such as Nigeria and Barbados, as they would see some economic development.
Politics in West Africa (1965) In his 1965 book,
Politics in West Africa, Lewis examines the weakness of
opposition parties in West African states. He criticizes the
majoritarian winner-takes-all model of politics, arguing that while it may work in European and American contexts, it cannot in the context of many African states. The reason for this is that African states are divided on linguistic and tribal lines, making it hard for peaceful co-existence between groups when one group controls the central government. Lewis argues
powersharing needs to be facilitated, which he argues can be best done through
proportional representation,
federalism and
coalition governments. Democracy can be maintained through institutional design more suited to the cleavages of African states. == Selected bibliography ==